ICC Earns Sixth Sustainability Star

Itawamba Community College has become the first college to earn six sustainable stars from The Institute of Sustainability.

ICC has received notification from David Long, TIOS regional director, that it has been awarded a star in the waste reduction category. Additional stars earned previously include general, energy efficiency, water efficiency and urban run-off, pollution prevention and chemical use and transportation management.

Among the documentation submitted for the waste reduction star are a Going Green in Paradise webpage; sustainability training for faculty; the inclusion of weekly announcements and tips in electronic newsletters to faculty, staff and students; and the many efforts to reduce waste throughout the College’s daily operations at each of its three locations including Fulton, Tupelo and Belden.

Amy Cappleman, director of Strategic Planning and Assessment at ICC, presented the sustainability training for faculty and staff recently at the Fulton Campus, and Michelle Sumerel, coordinator of eLearning instruction, at the Tupelo Campus. “The goals of participation in The Institute of Sustainability program are to save money, protect and improve the environment and raise awareness,” Cappleman said. “There are several ways that faculty can help including turning off your office lights when you leave, reuse paper that has only been used on one side and reduce the amount of paper used for print and copy jobs.”

Cappleman said that earning the six-star status was the result of a challenge from ICC President Dr. David C. Cole, who wants the College to be the leader in sustainability practices for the state.

“We strive to be good stewards of public trust and utilize tax money to sustain the environment and efficiently operate the institution,” Cole said.

About

WCBI – TV was the first television station in North Mississippi. The station began its regular operations on July 13, 1956 under the ownership of Birney Imes, Jr. WCBI was first housed in a group of cement block buildings in a pasture east of Columbus on Highway 12